Success Story
Specialized-glass manufacturer's entrepreneurial journey leads to commercial success with help from UMR SBTDC
Back in the early '80s Delbert Day, a University of Missouri-Rolla ceramic engineering professor, had a vision for glass. But not just any glass. He envisioned special products such as microspheres, powders and continuous glass fibers for unique applications in medicine, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and electronics.
Day's special vision for glass became a reality soon thereafter in the form of a product called TheraSphere™. Now, more than 20 years later, that vision has led to a range of high-tech applications in such diverse areas as cancer treatments and blood filtration, electronic displays and automotive mirrors, flip chip technology and sporting goods equipment.
Mo-Sci Corporation offers specialty-glass manufacturing services for a variety of high-tech applications.
Professor Day's vision also led to the development of Mo-Sci Corporation, the Rolla-based firm he founded in 1984. The company arose because no supplier within the glass industry was willing to make TheraSphere, according to Ted Day, president of Mo-Sci and son of the professor.
"Dad thought there might be other companies that had a similar need to acquire niche glass materials in low-volume/high-margin markets," says Ted. "Mo-Sci was started with that concept in mind and after 23 years—serving 1,000-plus customers and exporting to 40-plus countries—I think he was right."
Of course, during the first few years Mo-Sci operated on a slender thread, like most new small businesses. In Mo-Sci's case that slender thread had a name: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) awards, which are limited-amount R&D grants available for promising research efforts of interest to any of a variety of federal agencies.
Visit www.missouribusiness.net/success/mo_sci.asp for the complete story.
Your local Small Business Development Center can help with your business success. Appointments may be made for free consultations on small business issues by contacting the SBDC office near you.
Business Glowing Green
Small business lights the way
You may have seen their products on the Nov. 13, Martha Stewart show, or purchased their creations under Bloomingdale's or Macy's private labels. Kansas City's Creative Candles is a small manufacturer with an international market for high quality, hand-crafted candles. In business since 1961, the company employs 25 artisans who craft small batches of blended beeswax candles for all occasions.
Behind the scenes Creative Candles strives for environmental excellence. When Ken Weiner purchased the company in 2005 his wife, environmental lawyer Pam Fleischer, left her practice to help grow the candle company. One of the first things the couple did was contract a waste assessment and an employee survey through local non-profit Bridging the Gap. The waste study identified a number of materials that could be diverted to materials markets. The survey identified strong employee support for recycling.
"I knew how easy it is to be a good corporate citizen," says Fleischer, "and recycling is an easy piece to do with minimum effort."
Their efforts paid off immediately when Creative Candles moved to a larger plant in 2006. The company saved almost $1,600 in hauling costs by recycling 3.5 tons of old packaging. This also significantly lightened the moving load.
The small company annually recycles 62.5 percent (5.6 tons) of waste, including plastic, aluminum, glass, cardboard, paper and wax. It has reduced trash collection from once a week to once every two weeks. The estimated savings is more than $2,650 a year. Revenues from the recycling program are used to provide employee appreciation lunches throughout the year.
Creative Candles is a glowing example of how small businesses can benefit from going green.
Company and product information, as well as local retailers, can be found at www.creativecandles.com.
2008 Retail Promotion Calendar Available
Plan creative promotions to energize sales
Once again MissouriBusiness.net is pleased to provide the popular retail promotion calendar for the coming year. The 2008 calendar, compiled by the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, is available exclusively at www.missouribusiness.net/docs/retail_calendar.asp.
For ideas on how to use the calendar for marketing, see the December 2006 newsletter article on "Making the Calendar Work for Your Business" at www.missouribusiness.net/docs/making_calendar_work.asp.
I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form Revised
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued a new Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9). The federal government requires all employers to complete the I-9 within the first three days of employment of every newly hired employee.
The new I-9 includes modifications to the list of acceptable documents that employees can provide to determine proof of identity and employment eligibility. Five documents were removed and one was added to the list. The following documents are now acceptable:
- U.S. Passport (unexpired or expired);
- Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551);
- Unexpired foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp;
- Unexpired Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (Form I-766, I-688, I-688A, or I-688B);
- Unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94) for nonimmigrant aliens authorized to work for a specific employer.
Employers should become familiar with the revised I-9 now and begin using it for new employees immediately. Fines or penalties could result for employers continuing to use the old form after Dec. 26, 2007, according to the USCIS.
The new I-9 is dated June 5, 2007, and can be found on the USCIS Web site at www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf. A fact sheet with more information about the revisions is available at www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/FormI9FS110707.pdf.
IRS Roundup
New online EIN application processes requests in minutes
Taxpayers can now request an Employer Identification Number (EIN) through a Web-based system that instantly processes requests and generates identification numbers in real time, the Internal Revenue Service announced recently.
"This new and improved online application will reduce the time it takes taxpayers to get an EIN," said Richard Morgante, commissioner of the IRS wage and investment division. "Essentially they can get one while they wait—within minutes."
Here's how it works. A taxpayer accesses the Internet EIN system through IRS.gov and enters the required information. If the information passes the automatic validity checks, the IRS issues a permanent EIN to the taxpayer. If the information does not pass the validity checks, it is rejected. The taxpayer then has an opportunity to correct the information and resubmit the application.
The Internet EIN application is interactive and asks questions tailored to the type of entity the taxpayer is establishing. This is similar to popular tax-processing software packages on the market.
The direct link to the EIN application is sa1.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp.
Ask a Specialist
Business start-up information
Question: Is CD31, the Missouri Small Business Start-Up Kit CD, information available on a Web site without charge?
Answer: Yes, much of the material on the CD is available on the MO SBDCs' Web site. We offer, at a modest fee, the CD—a thorough, conveniently organized package about starting a business—as an alternative for learners who prefer that format or have a slow Internet connection.
A table of contents showing all of the materials available on the CD is available at www.missouribusiness.net/startup/cd_contents.asp.
Contact the SBDC nearest you to talk to one of our business specialists about your plans to start a business or about the challenges you face in operating an existing business.
Check our calendar of seminars and workshops to learn about business-related training sessions.
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For more information about doing business in Missouri, visit the Web sites at www.missouribusiness.net or contact one of our service centers. You can find a list at www.missouribusiness.net/sbdc/centers.asp.
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